Cell surface vimentin-positive circulating tumor cells: developments, and clinical applications

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a vital component of "liquid biopsy," offering significant potential for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring of treatment response, and studying the mechanisms of metastasis. However, CTCs exhibit considerable heterogeneity, especially those that undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This process often leads to the downregulation of epithelial markers, such as EpCAM, resulting in their underdetection by conventional methods. Cell surface vimentin (CSV), an emerging marker for cells with a mesenchymal phenotype, presents distinct advantages for the identification and capture of EMT-CTCs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advancements in research on CSV-positive circulating tumor cells (CSV + CTCs), with a particular focus on their detection technologies, biological functions, and clinical applications.